Trump, Burnett Deposed for Lawsuit Alleging NBC-TV’s “Apprentice” was ripped off. ‘Apprentice’ lawsuits settled.
A man who claims NBC Universal, Donald Trump and the creator of NBC’s “The Apprentice” stole his idea has settled his lawsuits in state and federal court, his attorney said.
Mark Bethea alleged that he and Velocity Entertainment Group came up with the idea for an unscripted series called “C.E.O.” that would have been hosted by Trump and set in a corporate office environment.
Bethea claimed he pitched the idea to Mark Burnett, producer of “Survivor,” and his partner, Conrad Riggs, in 2001 and they later lifted “substantial and integral material” from the proposal. Burnett denied the allegation.
Bethea’s attorney, Ronald Makarem, said the lawsuits in L.A. Superior Court and U.S District Court were settled recently but declined to disclose terms of the settlement.
